"He was a hard man and devilish obviously in what he had committed but on the other hand he didn't show this. He was a stern, angry-looking man who said nothing."

Mr Hughes was asked to go and see Mr Evans' mother with a fellow police officer.

"I brought her back to Hyde [Greater Manchester] where she had to go into the mortuary and indentify her son," he explained.

"It wasn't an easy task, it was very difficult. Being the senior of two of us, I had to knock on the door and it was answered by a neighbour.

"I had already lit a cigarette outside the door which showed how nervous I was despite the fact I was a policeman at the time."

Image copyrightPAImage caption
Brady was arrested after the killing of Edward Evans

Image copyrightPAImage caption
Lesley Anne Downey was the first victim whose body was found

He recalled his wife being concerned for the safety of their eldest daughter, who was just 12 months old at the time, as children disappeared "without trace" in the area.

"Everybody was worried stiff, children were afraid to go out," he said.

Mr Hughes described himself as a "small cog in the big wheel" that brought Brady to justice.

"It was an awful experience to go through what we did at that time, for everybody," he added.

"I remember standing on the side of the grave of Lesley Ann Downey and by my side there was a chief inspector from Lancashire county and although it was dark at night, I could see the tears in his eyes.

"He turned to me and said 'hanging has just been stopped and this would have been the only answer in this case'."